Entertainment

TalkSession Moves Therapy From Couch to PC

Before most of us can utter these three words, we have to conquer several obstacles. Not only must we admit to ourselves that we could use a little help, someone to talk to, the reassurance that we're not alone; we must also face societal stigmas associated with less than perfect mental health. Add to that the challenge of finding and affording a professional who suits our needs.

TalkSession aims to lower those barriers to entry by presenting intuitive, low-cost treatment tools within reach. Simply put, the startup's goal is to make accessing mental health information and treatment as streamlined and simple as possible.

"What do you do now if you you're trying to find a therapist? Either ask for a referral from a friend or type in 'therapist' and your zip code into Google." founder Melissa Thompson tells Mashable. "That isn't ideal."

With TalkSession, you won't even have to leave your home to participate in therapy.

It's called "telemental health," a movement that began in the 1990s that has since helped patients whose location or emotional state prevent access to mental health services. Think deployed soldiers suffering from PTSD, people who live in remote locations or patients suffering from agoraphobia or panic disorders, for example.

Like ZocDoc, patients will be able to use TalkSession to search for therapists that match several criteria, such as location, insurance and specialty. But before opening up those patient tools, TalkSession must build a strong network of medical providers and educate those participating professionals on best tech practices. That alpha phase is in full swing.

Once complete, patients will begin by filling out a 15-part questionnaire to match them with the best available professional. Choose whether you prefer a male or female therapist, whether that person is open to alternative treatment plans, and even whether he or she likes the same books as you. The survey mimics the traditional intake exam most patients must complete before being matched with a therapist. Only this one doesn't take 45 minutes. And it's 100% anonymous.

Why such a personal survey? Thompson says, "The foundation of any successful relationship is built on more than just credentials. Matching is based on values and personalities."

From there, TalkSession's HIPAA-compliant algorithm will select a pool of ideal therapy solutions. The algorithm, however, will have to be fairly sophisticated to address both diagnostic data and personality matching, which can be difficult to quantify. "Like OKCupid," Thompson says. "Like a good dating website, honing that information of who gets along with who is a complex process... It's no small feat. The more data we can get, the more successful it will be."

With better matching, Thompson says, TalkSession can help specific groups of people get the right kind of help. For instance, the deaf population. "How many therapists do you know who are fluent in sign language? Not many."

Patients may opt for a treatment plan in their area or — if they're one of the 80 million Americans who lives in an area too rural for mental health care — they'll be able to check in from a laptop or tablet.

Yet access to affordable mental healthcare in the United States is far from perfect. From 2005 to 2009, 26.2% of patients listed themselves or a family member as the sole source of payment for outpatient mental health services, according to a 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. In one year, one-third of adults who paid out-of-pocket for outpatient mental health care paid between $100 and $500, and 31.3% paid between $501 and $5,000. Of the total patients who received mental health care in that timeframe, 10.7% were uninsured.

TalkSession plans to address insurance and affordability concerns in several ways. The site will offer a flagging or alert system if a provider doesn't accept a certain insurance plan. And it's planning an ongoing, supplemental workshop series called OpenSessions to guide patients toward affordable solutions.

Of course, privacy is always top-of-mind when it comes to healthcare. For instance, Skype, while useful, is not HIPAA-compliant — information over Skype is encrypted, but technically the company is not required to report privacy breaches.

"TalkSession is not collecting any data that is identifiable," says Thompson. "The video chats will not be accessible by the TalkSession network. [Correspondence] will go through its own server that is encrypted beyond HIPAA standards. There will be an inability to record or screenshot that conversation."

TalkSession is working with HIPAA technology experts and attorneys to launch a browser version of teletherapy. The company will encourage providers to test the tool with existing patients, where there is already established trust. Not to mention, providers are all individually responsible for their own HIPAA compliancy, so there is a double onus for security.

"It's a great time for this to launch, because people are used to sharing more on the Internet," says Thompson. "I've seen five Facebook statuses of people saying, 'I'm looking for a therapist.'"

Mashable
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